How IoT is an essential tool against climate change

Data is everything. This may be obvious in a digital, connected world for consumers where data can be used to feed algorithms to establish your shopping habits, or preferred Netflix shows. In the world of utility management, data is used for an array of purposes, from measuring water consumption to establishing leaks. As climate change drives erratic weather patterns, this world is facing challenges in trying to establish the new normal.

HOW IOT IS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

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The term ‘climate change’ is ubiquitous. From industries including agriculture and mining, to the cars we drive and the clothes we wear; even, in recent years, running power-hungry AI models which caused Microsoft to admit it didn’t meet its carbon emissions targets this year – it’s arguably difficult to escape mention of how climate change is shaping our world. Because of the IoT industry’s own familiarity with the power of what technologies can do coupled with a trend towards collecting and analysing data, I wanted to explore how this industry in particular is stepping up. The main challenge was the vastness of the industry and the technologies the Internet of Things encapsulates. Industrial IoT; healthcare IoT; consumer IoT (which may be more commonly recognised as referring to IoT devices like smartphones), each are an example of IoT technologies in practice. As for devices – Edge computers; wireless modules; sensors, the list could go on. For the sake of brevity and containing this technical article within a few thousand words, I chose to focus on the relationship between network and satellite technologies, and sensing devices in keeping them connected, looking more specifically at the real-life applications of environmental monitoring and water metering. These were picked for their recognition of how climate change is affecting our environment, and our precious resources. What I discovered – and hope you will gain from reading this, too – was the positivity and belief of every expert I spoke to, in the power of IoT. The question of what kind of network technology, what kind of protocol, what kind of sensing device can be left up for debate. But the overall belief that the IoT industry can, for example, support companies in deploying smart water meters over a wide area network so they can

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tackle leaks and understand water usage better, is undeniable.

and innovations of IoT devices – as well as specifications opening up applications like the 3GPP Release 17 that standardised non-terrestrial networks – that will address the impacts of climate change, head on. And, lest I forget, the insights, expertise and passion of experts working in this space. I thank each and every one of them for taking the time to speak with me.

The future remains uncertain. A growing population in parts of the world and extreme weather conditions brought on by climate change threaten the environment and our water supplies. To avoid catastrophising and fearmongering, it is through the continued development

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING Environmental monitoring is helping companies understand how climate change is affecting the world around us

INTERVIEW WITH RACHAEL WAKEFIELD

Business Development Manager at CENSIS

Without connectivity, IoT sensors can’t collect the data and transmit it CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY

It’s not just network technologies that are supporting connectivity but satellite technologies too SATELLITE TECHNOLOGIES STEPPING UP

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HOW IOT IS AN ESSENTIAL TOOL AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

effectiveness in regions across the world. Perhaps no other industry understands the importance of data so well, as a myriad of developments – from the highly anticipated development of 6G technology to the roll out of Wi-Fi 6 – look to support the continually growing network of IoT devices.

Thanks to these ongoing developments in technology,

environmental monitoring and utility management are supported by savvy tech today; sensing solutions are used to monitor and feed data back, while satellite and network technologies are supporting these sensors to ensure connectivity regardless of the location. A sensor deployed in an underground tunnel has a much harder time remaining connected than a sensor deployed in an urban space, and the responsibility falls on networks and satellites to maintain connectivity. Because of how IoT sensors operate, they’re well suited to be deployed in a location and left to monitor and collect data for a long period of time, which has removed the historical need for somebody to come and physically collect the data. IoT sensing solutions

How data powers IOT

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“The deployment cost and maintenance costs, maybe they [companies] don’t think about that in the development part. But if you do, and this results in long battery life, then the maintenance costs will be lower and it will be a win for the total business,” Rosqvist explained. Depending on the use case [1], the battery choice will vary. There are two types of batteries used for wireless IoT sensors: single-use primary batteries and rechargeable secondary batteries. The key difference between the two types being that in secondary batteries the chemical reaction used for power can be reversed to recharge the battery. Requirements for these batteries include low maintenance, scalability, and ease of deployment.

have become the focus of reducing power consumption and optimising battery power as the need for devices that can be left for long periods of time with little maintenance grows. Sweden-based company Qoitech creates developer tools for battery testing, energy optimisation and predictive battery life analytics. The work of companies like Qoitech, in short, looks to support companies who want to optimise the power consumption of their devices and subsequently reduce how often batteries need to be replaced. Björn Rosqvist, Chief Product Officer said that optimising power consumption saves battery replacement costs, waste and deployment cost, and maintenance costs.

NOT ALL PLACES ACROSS THE WORLD HAVE GOOD CONNECTIVITY INFRASTRUCTURE IN PLACE. SOURCE: ESEYE

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HARNESSING IOT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

assess environmental conditions and any emerging trends. Air and water quality, noise pollution, pollen, and disaster forecasting are typical parameters being monitored. According to insights from Meticulous Market Research, the environmental monitoring market – covering hardware such as sensors, software, and applications like water and air pollution monitoring – is expected to reach $33.9 billion by 2031, marking a CAGR of 8.4%. The growth in this market can be attributed to increased investment in environmental monitoring to target pollution and the growing number of uses for IoT in this market. CENSIS (Centre of Excellence for Sensing, Imaging and IoT Technologies) is based in Glasgow and is focused on working with private and public organisations to overcome technological barriers. In May 2024, it collaborated with Aqsen Innovations to accelerate the development of its sensor system Aquasense. The plan for the sensor system is to use it for trials in Lake Victoria to monitor water quality in floodplains and agricultural land.

Optimising batteries to reduce their power consumption is an essential issue. Besides ensuring connected IoT devices operate for longer out in the field to collect critical data, batteries that have to be thrown away are contributing to a growing pile of electronic waste. A United Nations (UN) report published in March 2024 warned of an alarming rise in electronic waste; with 62 million tonnes produced in 2022. The challenges are clear, and only through harnessing valuable data can companies understand weather patterns, environmental conditions and how their utilities are performing, and facilitating all of this is IoT connectivity. To get at the heart of these challenges and learn more from the people delivering this connectivity, IoT Insider Editor Caitlin Gittins spoke to experts from CENSIS, Sigfox Hellas, Eseye, Kigen, Sateliot, and Sequans. Environmental monitoring is helping companies to understand how climate change is affecting the world around us. The scope for environmental monitoring is broad [2]. Simply put, it refers to the equipment and processes used to

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PAGE | 7 Lake Victoria, where environmental monitoring takes place to assess water quality and other factors. Source: CENSIS

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I SPOKE TO RACHEL WAKEFIELD

Business Development Manager at CENSIS, who said that the opportunities IoT technology presents for supporting key sectors like food production, water management, and forestry “cannot be overstated”. She relayed to me the multi-faceted role IoT sensors deployed in the field globally play. Against a backdrop of climate change bringing unpredictable weather patterns, hotter and wetter seasons, integral industries are feeling the strain, and sensing solutions are stepping forward to provide crucial insights to combat this unpredictability. From monitoring invasive species to fire detection and water management, sensors play an important role in providing data down to the minutiae that help with preventative measures. “In forestry and agriculture, the growing threat of invasive species and pests due to changing weather is causing serious damage to food, crops, and woodland,” Wakefield explained. “To combat this, IoT is being deployed to monitor environmental variables such as wind speed and direction, helping to forecast where pests might land and traps that can confirm the case. Traps

Rachael Wakefield, Business Development Manager at CENSIS. Source: CENSIS

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like these can provide valuable information quickly, enabling food growers and forestry managers to take earlier action.” Other areas include providing early warnings of wildfires, which can wreak havoc, “a critical factor in assessing fire risk and accurately predicting outbreaks,” said Wakefield. “For commercial reasons and to support communities, the integration of IoT and sensor technology will be critical in building resilience against both water scarcity and flooding. These issues are becoming increasingly concerning for businesses such as distilleries and other food manufacturers that depend on raw water resources. “By monitoring river levels and water reserves through IoT-enabled sensor networks, businesses can understand availability, track usage, identify losses, and effectively plan for droughts,” Wakefield added. She explained that integrating IoT and sensing technologies will “build resilience”, help with responding to threats and implementing strategies for long-term resource management, not just for large, commercial businesses, but for individuals at home too – relating to that time-old adage that small steps when they are added up, can make a big difference. “Access to the data provided by IoT networks can better enable people to make informed decisions about how to reduce waste and boost energy efficiency, contributing to the fight against climate change,” Wakefield concluded.

“IN FORESTRY AND AGRICULTURE, THE GROWING THREAT OF INVASIVE SPECIES AND PESTS DUE TO CHANGING WEATHER IS CAUSING SERIOUS DAMAGE TO FOOD, CROPS, AND WOODLAND"

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DATA IS BEING PAID FOR Utility management, whether consciously or not, is at the forefront of the battle against climate change. Storms, wildfires, and flooding are becoming more commonplace, and typical weather patterns – e.g. expecting it to be hot and dry in summer, and cool and wet in the winter – can no longer be relied upon in protecting and preparing utilities. This is why a wealth of data about how a utility is performing can help with preparation for these potential scenarios. A 2019 whitepaper published by McKinsey & Company [3] analysed financial records of 10 power utilities in seven states in the US that experience common hurricanes and found a typical utility cost $1.4 billion in storm damage costs. We are at a point now where suppliers are willing to pay for quality data on how their utilities are performing, said Olivier Pauzet, EVP Marketing & Strategy at Sequans, the collection of which must be able to rely on good connectivity. He warned against operating on unlicensed bands, explaining that licensed bands are operated by MNOs and guarantee a quality of service: “Operating in a licensed band is more expensive than anything which is unlicensed, but you receive a better quality of service,” he said. Sequans collaborated with Itron on a water metering project where Sequans’ Monarch 2 LTE-M/NB-IoT technology was picked to connect Itron’s smart water meters in Queensland, Australia. “An industry trend we’re seeing that happened with electricity, gas, and now water, because it’s becoming a crucial resource, is that companies are willing to pay to get data so they can better track their customers,” said Pauzet.

The technology chosen for the project, Sequans’

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vocal supporter of water metering, has posts on its website reporting findings that say action on leakages was needed in 2018 and discussing how metering is a key tool to save us water. In 2023, following an investigation of the UK's critical infrastructure, the NIC advised the government to make water metering compulsory. Owing to a combination of climate change and a growing population, the NIC said one million homes in the UK have more than a 1% chance of flooding and a one in four chance of a severe drought before 2050. Smart water metering uses devices, often sensors, to monitor and communicate water usage from consumers to suppliers. Mo Bazargan, Account Director at Eseye, detailed the challenges smart water metering faces included connectivity, power consumption, data security, interoperability, and costs: “To address these challenges, you need to deploy robust and scalable network solutions like cellular IoT and utilise low- power technologies such as NB-IoT and

Monarch 2, is the second generation of the Monarch technology. “We have aspects [in the Monarch 2] that have been well tuned,” explained Pauzet. “It performs better, and first and foremost is its improved power consumption.” Monarch 2 can support both LTE-M and NB-IoT in one solution, but the most important feature is its low power consumption. “It’s because of the evolution of technology that makes low power possible,” added Pauzet. “Before you didn’t have low power devices, there was a huge battery for devices – now technology is available with low power consumption that can operate for 15 years on one battery, which is acceptable in terms of cost.” WATER METERING MAY BECOME VITAL Water suppliers have long relied on water meters to understand how their supplies are being used, not always with great accuracy. The National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), which has been a

Sequans’ Monarch 2 technology. Source: Sequans

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usage, detect leaks, and ensure efficient distribution of water resources,” he said. Lest we only tar these regions with the brush of poor connectivity, Barzagan explained that even developed countries can struggle with poor connectivity too. “Rural and remote regions may lack comprehensive coverage and connectivity … Ageing infrastructure in some cities can pose problems … Additionally, funding constraints and bureaucratic hurdles can slow down the adoption of new technologies and the implementation of efficient water management practices.” Regions like the American Southwest are struggling with what may be the new normal; prolonged droughts and extreme heat. Barzagan emphasised that this is where modernising water infrastructure with smart metering technologies is beneficial.

CAT-M to extend battery life." Eseye provides LTE-M and NB-IoT technologies for smart metering applications. “Cellular IoT is preferred for many applications due to its global coverage, reliability, and scalability,” added Barzagan. “Technologies like 2G, 3G, 4G, LTE-M, and NB-IoT offer flexibility for different use cases, whether high data rates, low consumption, or deep indoor penetration are needed.” Parts of the world don’t always have the necessary infrastructure in place for smart water metering and utility management. Barzagan listed regions in Africa, Asia, and rural areas in Latin America as facing “significant challenges” because of this lack of infrastructure and investment. “These areas may struggle with outdated or nonexistent water management systems, making it difficult to monitor

Not all places across the world have good connectivity infrastructure in place. Source: Eseye

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CELLULAR CONNECTIVITY

network technology to pick, what protocol to go with and what advantages it will bring to areas such as water metering is an ongoing discussion in the industry right now. According to Paul Bradley, VP Solution Sales at Kigen, smart metering – particularly water and gas metering – is turning to cellular connectivity to transmit data. “Inside a smart water meter, you need a cellular module for cellular connectivity … You therefore need a SIM or eSIM to be able to connect to the mobile network and authenticate that

Putting aside the risks of flooding to consumers’ homes for one moment, as another example, let’s say you’re a water supplier and you want to know how much water is being lost due to leaks, which is costing you money. You buy the sensor which is installed where you need it to monitor data, to understand where and how the leaks are taking place. Ultimately, you need connectivity, so the sensor can talk to the system and send over the data it’s collecting for later analysis.

Without connectivity, IoT sensors can’t collect the data and transmit it. What

Sigfox 0G technology is a form of LPWAN technology. Source: Sigfox 0G technology

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How Sigfox 0G technology operates. Source: Sigfox 0G technology

NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES News of Constrat, a water metering supplier deploying 7,000 water meters across Greece and working in partnership with Sigfox Hellas to bring this kind of connectivity, demonstrates the kind of scale some projects take on, and the subsequent challenges involved in ensuring 7,000 water meters are operating without disruption. I was curious to learn more, so I spoke to Dimitris Kantaros, Chief Operating Officer of Sigfox Hellas, the Greek operating arm of Sigfox 0G Technology. In conversation with Kantaros, he was keen to emphasise that he believed Sigfox 0G technology to be one of the best unlicensed LPWAN protocols in IoT right now, for its efficiency, scalability and resilience – but acknowledged there was no one technology to serve all sectors. “We’re trying to find the golden ratio here,” he said.

device,” Bradley explained. This is what Kigen provides.

eSIM technology is proving useful in allowing water suppliers to switch between profiles, rather than being confined to a physical SIM card. “You can also manage the lifecycle of those connectivity profiles over-the-air, so you can download a new profile,” Bradley added. The cost, quality of data, and deployment are driving this shift to using cellular technology, said Bradley. “Networks like NB-IoT and LTE-M can reach very hard to reach areas. If a water meter is somewhere covered in concrete, you can reach it with these technologies because the band that is used is quite flexible.” On being asked whether he thought there was a “one size fits all” solution, Bradley was diplomatic in his answer. “We just need to make sure that whatever the given company chooses is sustainable,” he said.

Sigfox 0G technology’s reach is vast. It provides connectivity for water metering

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where the network coverage is limited or

and sensors, but also any other sector which requires utility metering, alongside early warning systems for fire and flood detection – which Kantaros said was becoming more important “due to climate change” – and environmental monitoring such as soil moisture and soil health. “For the data collection of any meter or sensor out in the field, it’s important for it to be resilient enough and reliable enough,” explained Kantaros. “Having a device out in an uncontrolled environment is far more challenging than having a device in a controlled environment like an office. “The challenges are quite clear,” he added. “When you have to measure, for example, the water quality in the woods,

the signal penetration is not the same as in an urban environment, this is a challenging environment for traditional cellular technologies.” The Sigfox 0G technology combats these challenges by ensuring a larger penetration, “it can create from the base station a longer distance to the device while ensuring a high quality of service,” and therefore greater coverage, Kantaros explained. This is achieved by keeping to a small bandwidth and only transmitting the required measurement sent by a

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ALONGSIDE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS FOR FIRE AND FLOOD DETECTION – WHICH KANTAROS SAID WAS BECOMING MORE IMPORTANT "DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE"

sensor, that is a small amount of data.

A base station installation at Parga, Greece, supporting a water metering project.

L Sigfox 0G technology operates on an ultra-narrowband (UNB) frequency, meaning that each message sent on the network takes a very narrow frequency brand, and packet collisions are “rare” because more than one base station covers devices, and for each transmission a device sends the data three times on a slightly different frequency – reducing the likelihood of service disruptions. The principle of the cooperative reception

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The four satellites Sateliot has launched, as of August 2024 Source: Sateliot

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the battery and that is significant when thousands of meters need their batteries replaced in a few months’ time.” In summary, there is a lot at stake, and water suppliers need to consider many factors to provide effective solutions in the field.

is that an object is not attached to a specific base station unlike cellular protocols. The emitted message is received by any base stations that are nearby and on average the number of base stations is three. This is called spatial diversity. Water metering can be taking measurements related to consumption, pressure at different key distribution points and trying to assess, crucially, if there are any leaks. “The return on investment of these systems comes from better management of resources,” Kantaros detailed. “By having all of these measurements we can proactively or retroactively take correcting measures with precision and accuracy for preserving water resources. “Most of these proactive measurements are taken in the field by smart devices that are either autonomous modules or they are integrated into the metering devices,” he continued, “For example, you can have water flow meters monitoring the water network to measure the pressure and other elements.” Sigfox 0G technology is preferable for serving water metering and monitoring, Kantaros said, because of its longevity and low power consumption – meaning batteries need to be replaced less frequently. “There are other IoT protocols that are not best suited for solutions such as water metering because they are using the TCP/ IP protocol,” he said. “For example, if I’m sending a measurement and the server doesn’t receive it, I’ll have to resend the message. That presents a risk of depleting

SATELLITE TECHNOLOGIES STEPPING UP

It’s not just network technologies that are supporting connectivity but satellite technologies too. This is a market that has been experiencing a significant amount of growth as companies have sought to make satellite technology more cost-effective and accessible, where historically, old technology has been too expensive to deploy, to ensure global connectivity. Making satellite technology more accessible is the “vision” of Sateliot, according to Stephan Bernard, Head of Business Development at the company, since the company’s founding in 2018. “The vision has always been to make satellite IoT connectivity accessible, cost- effective and massive,” he explained. The approval of 3GPP Release 17 in 2022 was an instrumental turning point because non-terrestrial networks (NTN) became part of the standard. Prior to this point, satellite IoT connectivity had not had a standard on which to operate. After this point, Bernard said, they stopped focusing on approval and instead started focusing on the execution of their technology. “If you take a look at the legacy satellite market, which are all based on proprietary networks – meaning they each have a specific communication protocol –

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monitoring.” This includes monitoring air and water quality.

operators not only have to deploy the satellites but also provide the end to end solution to the customers, manufacturing their own devices,” he said. “The price of connectivity consequently is really expensive.” Sateliot uses Narrowband (NB) IoT as their network technology, because of the 3GPP Release 17 standard and its capabilities for massive machine type communications. “NB-IoT has a series of features that ensure devices can last out on the field for between five and 10 years. Therefore, the prices of the components of Nb-IoT have always been cost-efficient.” In harnessing satellite technology for environmental monitoring purposes, Bernard detailed two aspects. “One of them is how can the technology and the connectivity, which enables the technology, help to combat climate change? The second is the specific applications for environmental

“In the case of fertiliser, if you end up using too much in your agricultural activities they end up getting washed into water streams which causes a growth of algae and kills other life within the water,” explained Bernard. “If you can detect that too much fertiliser is being used because you have IoT sensors measuring pollutants within the water, then you can address this and the problem at the source.” Bernard didn’t just highlight monitoring natural resources like water and air but spoke about how IoT technology is supporting fleet management and smart grids. “If you’re able to have a more efficient smart grid where you’re not losing energy and instead optimising it, at scale that has an impact on climate change,” he concluded.

BERNARD DETAILED TWO ASPECTS..

How can the technology and the connectivity, which enables the technology, help to combat climate change? 01 The specific applications for environmental monitoring. 02

IOT TECHNOLOGY IS SUPPORTING FLEET MANAGEMENT AND SMART GRIDS.

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Sateliot are in the process of launching four commercial satellites. Source: Sateliot

Stephan Bernard, Head of Business Development

In the case of fertiliser, if you end up using too much in your agricultural activities they end up getting washed into water streams which causes a growth of algae and kills other life within the water

FINAL THOUGHTS Warnings from experts such as the NIC are pointing to the need for countries such as the UK to update its existing infrastructure to combat the risks posed by climate change, which include storms, flooding, and severe

technologies such as NB-IoT or Sigfox 0G technology which operates in an unlicensed band, sensors or even satellites to bring about the vision of global coverage – which has the potential to benefit multiple industries crying out for good connectivity, from environmental monitoring to water management and other industries such as agriculture. Although it is evident that serious time, work, and investment needs to be brought about to improve the essential resources on which we rely, the data with which the IoT industry is already so familiar provides benefits in the way of utility management and environmental monitoring. The expertise of IoT companies and their technologies is going to be a key tool in the fight against climate change.

droughts. This may be the ‘new normal’ in a few decades and long-established weather patterns can no longer be relied upon, especially from the perspective of key utilities like water and electricity, but also for environmental monitoring to understand how rising temperatures and sporadic weather patterns are affecting the natural world around us. From the conversations I had with experts operating in the IoT space, all were keen to stress the benefits brought by deploying IoT technologies, whether this is network

REFERENCES:

[1] Drewery, A., 'How to Use Batteries to Power IoT Devices', Very Technology. Available at: https:// www.verytechnology.com/iot-insights/how-to-use- batteries-to-power-iot-devices

THE EXPERTISE OF IOT COMPANIES AND THEIR TECHNOLOGIES IS GOING TO BE A KEY TOOL IN THE FIGHT AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE.

[2] Eseye (2024), 'IoT in Environmental Monitoring: A Breath of Fresh Air', Eseye. Available at: https://www. eseye.com/resources/blogs/iot-in-environmental- monitoring-a-breath-of-fresh-air/#:~:text=IoT%20 sensors%20can%20help%20the,traffic%20away%20 from%20sensitive%20areas. [3] Brody, S., Rogers, M., Siccardo, G., (2019), 'Why, and how, utilities should start to manage climate-change risk', McKinsey & Company. Available at: https:// www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Industries/ Electric%20Power%20and%20Natural%20Gas/ Our%20Insights/Why%20and%20how%20utilities%20 should%20start%20to%20manage%20climate%20 change%20risk/Why-and-how-utilities-should-start-to- manage-climate-change-risk-vF.pdf

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